Boats



March 27, 1'962 c. v. FRIDGE 3,026,839

BOATS Filed Aug. 22, 19Go IN VEN TOR. WF/we@ 56406-5 United StatesPatent G 3,026,839 BOATS Clifford V. Fridge, 267 Lovers Lance, BatonRouge, La. Filed Aug. 22, 1960, Ser. No. 50,965 1 Claim. (Cl. 114-665)This invention relates to inflatable, buoyant attachments for use withwater vessels. The invention specifically relates to rigging forincreasing the buoyancy and decreasing the drag on water vehicles towhich they may be attached.

One objective of this invention is to provide buoyant inflatable plasticmembers about portions of the periphery of the vessels hull above thewater line for a variety of purposes. One purpose of such members is tomaintain the boat afloat in the event it is capsized, and a secondpurpose thereof is to prevent capsizing by decreasing the pitch of theboat on sharp turns while the boat is traveling at high speeds.

A still further objective of such a member is the protection it affordsthe vessels hull in the event it contacts or bumps other vessels, piers,snags, and the like. l Another objective of this invention is to providetriangularly shaped inllatable devices astern along the bottom of thevessels hull, forward of the propeller so that the portion of the boatmost submerged will be provided with additional buoyancy, and thusdecrease the drag or friction caused bythe vessels hull.

A still further objective of this invention is to provide an inflatableplastic ring of material about the periphery of the cockpit of a motorboat or the like which will act as a safety shield for the operatorsthereof, and as a further buoyant means in the event of the vesselcapsizing.

Each of the above-mentioned inflatable members, a1- though having theirOwn specific objectives, have a cooperative objective of keeping theboat afloat under all but the most unusual of circumstances.

A still further important objective of this invention is to manufacturethe above drag decreasing and buoyant members of readily inflatablematerials so that the members can be utilized or not as the operatorchooses.

Retractable devices of a buoyant nature in the present state of its artare made largely of rigid materials which are unwieldly and ditlicult toremove from operation when desired. The invention set forth hereinrequires no costly hydraulic power supply so often necessary withcurrent adjustable hydrofoil apparatus. The invention described belowpermits a flexibility of use and safety characteristics desired by thevast majority of individual boat owners, and is well within theirfinancial reach.

Further objectives and advantages of this invention will be apparentfrom the following description and claims wherein the construction,arrangement and cooperation of the several parts of the apparatus areset forth.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a motor boat embodying the principle of thisinvention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view thereof with portions in phantom;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view showing the drag decreasing elements; and

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the boat showing the attitude of theboat at a high speed.

Referring now to the drawings where like elements indicate like parts,the numeral indicates a motor boat employing features of one embodimentof this invention. The vessel has, along the starboard side of its hull,a recessed chamber 12 housing an elongated inflatable plastic member 14.The air inlet for the member 14 may conveniently extend into the cockpit16 of the boat as shown at 18 permitting inflation at that point. Manysmaller boats of the type shown have as part of their 3,525,83 PatentedMar. 27, 1962 ICC standard equipment hand pumps by which the member 14may be intlated. In larger boats such as cabin cruisers and yachts, moreoften a generator and air pump for compressed airis available. In thealternative, the member 14 may readily be supplied with automatic carbondioxide inating devices which are well known to those in the inflatablecontainer art.

The recess is provided with a hinged cover 20 which will swing open whenmember 14 is inflated; Conventional clasps and hinges may be adapted foruse with the cover if desired. The recess 12 is sufficiently large tohouse the member 14 in its dellated condition. However, when the memberis inflated, it forcibly swings the cover outwardly and emerges from itsrecess. The members inflated condition can be observed by referring toFIG. l or to the dotted lines in FIG. 2.

The member 14 will be made of a tough, extremely durable plastic, suchas polyvinyl chloride. Thusly, the inflated member 14 will not only actas a buoyant member to prevent capsizing, but will act as a bumper-guardin the event the boat strikes other boats, docks, piers and the like.

As seen best in FIG. 3, a recess 22 adapted to receive the inflatablemember 24 on the port side of the boat is also provided.

The port side of the boat is identical to that described for thestarboard side. The recess 22 has a cover member 23 and the inflatablemember 24 is preferably furnished with an air inlet also extending tothe panel or point 18. The air inlets for all the inllatable members areconveniently centered at panel 18.

As already indicated, these inllatable members act as bumper guards andsafety floats. Additionally, the members 14 and 24 will lessen the pitchof the boat as it makes a turn. That is; as the boat makes a sharp turnto the port side, the elongated member 24 will come in contact with thewater thus increasing the buoyancy on that side of the ship, which inturn aids in keeping the ship upright and of course, the reverse is trueon the starboard side. The importance of this aspect of the inventionwill become more apparent as other aspects of invention are described.

Referring now specifically to FIGS. 3 and 4 there is shown shallowtriangular recesses 26 and 30 on either side of and forwardly of thepropeller 32. These recesses are adapted to house a pair of pointedtriangularly shaped inflatable members 34 and 36. The members 34 and 36are also provided with interior air nozzles 38 and 40 which terminate atthe centrally located panel 18.

Spring-hinged covers or planing members 27 and 31 close olf the recesses26 and 30 while the members 34 and 36 are in their deflated condition.When the inflatable actuating members 34 and 36 are inllated, the coversswing open forming a pair of planing members having their widest, mostrearwardly, portions spaced from the bottom of the boat.

A better understanding of the invention can be gained by observing theinvention in operation. As is commonly known, the bow of a boat (havinga rear screw propel- 1er) raises at increased forward speeds and thestern end has a tendency to submerge a proportionate amount. It is thepurpose of members 34 and 36 to decrease the drag resulting from thesubmerged stern condition.

When the boat reaches an attitude of high bow and low stern, theoperator will inflate members 34 and 36 to raise the stern an amountfrom its submerged state. The members 34 and 36 are normally inflatedprior to reaching the speeds at which they will reach their optimumeliciency. Skilled operators will readily become familiar with thedegree of inllatability necessary for their particular boat and waterconditions. For safety purposes, members 14 and 24 are inllated prior tomembers 34 and 36.

As the speed of the boat increases, the cooperation between the sidemembers 14 and 24 and the bottom members 34 and 36 becomes readilyapparent. As the boat is lifted further and further out of the water,the danger of capsizing, due to an undesirable tilting, becomes increasingly likely when sharp turns are made. However,v the side members14 and 24 will prevent such an eventuality.

The decreased drag obtained by the inflatable members results in afaster traveling vessel, and a somewhat more dangerous one in spite ofside members 14 and 24. A further safety feature is included which takesthe form f an inatable plastic member 44 outlining the periphery of theboat cockpit. This member acts as a safety shield for the occupants andto increase the buoyancy of the boat in the event that it capsizes.

In a general manner, while I have, in the above description, disclosedwhat I deem to be practical and eicient embodiments of my invention, itshould be well understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto, asthere might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition and form ofthe parts without departing from the principle of the present inventionas comprehended within the scope of the accompanying claim.

I claim:

A boat 'having a relatively flat bottom, substantially vertical hullwalls, and a passenger cockpit, a motor driven propeller astern anddisposed along the center line of said bottom, a pair of triangularlyshaped planing members on said bottom spaced forwardly of said propellerand having their apices facing in the forward direction of travel, andone each of said pair on either side of said center line, -a pair oftriangularly shaped inflatable plastic members to actuate said planingmembers, irst means to inflate said members with a compressed gascausing the stern end of said boat to partially lift from the water inwhich it is buoyed, said hull walls comprised of a port side and astarboard side, an inatable tube circumscribing the opening of saidcockpit, second means to inate said tube, each of said sides havinglongitudinal recesses therein substantially parallel to said bottom,third inatable members nested in each of said last-mentioned recesses,third means to inflate said third inatable members, said thirdinliatable members expanding beyond the contines of said recesses wheninflated, said lirst, second and third means to inate emanating from acommon source in said cockpit, whereby at high speeds when said firstpair of members are inflated, said second members will aid in preventingsaid boat from capsizing, and said tube will aid in making said boatmore buoyant in the event of capsizing.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS976,588 Meldau Nov. 22, 1910 1,448,607 Tworski Mar. 13, 1923 1,805,131Donaldson May 12, 1931 2,265,206 Stamp Dec. 9, 1941 2,848,725 SloulinAug. 26, 1958 2,924,192 Salvage Feb. 9, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 265,363Italy l June 10, 1929

